14 DAY TRIAL // In late March, the Marine Conservation Society issued a report saying that in 2013 beaches in the United Kingdom were at their dirtiest. Thus, in just one weekend, volunteers reportedly came across and removed a whopping 223,405 bits and pieces of litter.
What is interesting is that, according to figures recently shared with the public by the Highways Agency, roads in this part of the world are not that clean either, Click Green informs.
On the contrary, the Highways Agency maintains that, each year, there is enough trash lying around on England's motorways to fill four Olympic-sized swimming pools, the same source details.
Specialists estimate that, all in all, the Highways Agency removes some 7,500 tonnes of garbage from roads in England on a yearly basis. What's more, they say that the cost associated with these operations amounts to an annual £6 million ( some €7.25 million / $9.93 million).
“The Highways Agency spends at least £6 million a year collecting more than 150,000 sacks of litter from England’s motorways. It costs around £40 [€48.36 / $66.26] to collect each bag of rubbish from a motorway, roughly what it costs the agency to fix a pothole,” Roads Minister Robert Goodwill said.
“People should take responsibility for their environment, locally and further afield. Just because you are on the move is no excuse for despoiling the area you’re driving through and leaving others to deal with your thoughtlessness,” added the Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, Phil Barton.
Specialists say that the trouble with garbage on roads in England is that it constitutes a threat to both drivers and wildlife. Thus, this trash can cause accidents to happen and also constitutes a source of environmental pollution. Besides, the workers who are sent to clean it up are at risk while on the job.
The Highways Agency explains that, although food wrappers and soda cans are a common sight on England's motorways, it sometimes happens that rather odd items end up on motorways. In its report, the Agency claims to have until now found a rocking horse, a sailing mast, furniture, and even a tall statue of an Olympic mascot.
Hoping to convince people to keep roads in England clean, the Highways Agency has launched a campaign dubbed “Bag It! Bin It!” The campaign is scheduled to run until the end of this year's April and is intended to encourage people to clean after themselves while on the road.